FPFC tour gives retail and foodservice community an upclose look at the Salinas Valley
A busload of retailers, foodservice operators, suppliers and allied industry toured the Salinas Valley as part of a Fresh Produce & Floral Council tour held Wednesday, June 1.
The tour was designed to give retail and foodservice personnel a first-hand look at the production element of some of the products they sell and promote.
Three operations -- California Florida Plant Co., California Giant and Monterey Mushrooms -- were included in the full-day program.
New Jersey produce long a mainstay at Incollingo's
PENNS GROVE, NJ -- With a cool spring pushing back the start of the New Jersey vegetable season by 10 days to two weeks so far this year, Boston lettuce, asparagus and hothouse tomatoes were about the only Jersey items in the produce department at the Incollingo's Family Market store here in mid-May.
But that will all change as spring turns into summer, when this store will put Jersey produce items figuratively -- and literally -- front and center.
Scott Gorczyca puts his best foot forward at Baloian Packing
Scott Gorczyca gets a kick out of just about everything he does, including his new job in sales at Baloian Packing in Fresno, CA. The former fullback at Arizona State University in Tempe tackles every task with enthusiasm, whether it's promoting the full line of commodities for the grower-shipper-packer he joined this spring or when he would help his father shoe horses as a youngster back in Arizona, where he grew up.
Webinar to explore opportunities presented by dietary guidelines
Government, public relations and industry experts will be on hand June 28 when the Produce Marketing Association offers a Fresh Produce Academy webinar entitled "Taste, Convenience, Profits: Marketing the New Dietary Guidelines to Increase Produce Consumption."
The webinar will explore the marketing potential of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The updated dietary guidelines strongly emphasize that consumers increase their daily intake of fruits and vegetables.
Watermelon supplies are expanding toward July 4
Watermelon volumes were building just before the Memorial Day holiday, with volumes expected to be adequate for demand in the early days of June.
Watermelon prices on the verge of the Memorial Day holiday were "substantially higher" than those of the Memorial Day of 2004, "although prices are higher because there is not enough volume, Lloyd Rosen of Wm. Manis Produce Marketing Co. in Plant City, FL, said May 24.
Vidalia Onion Committee manager moving on
Jeffery Hall, who has helped guide the Vidalia Onion Committee in Vidalia, GA, during the past year as manager after the organization was left reeling from a corruption scandal perpetrated by its prior manager, Tina Wheeler, will resign to take a position with National Onion Lab Inc. in nearby Collins, GA.
Northwest cherries: First drop a big one but will likely result in bigger fruit
The "nuances" of what happened during pollination and cold weather earlier this season brought about a mid-May first drop of Northwest cherries that B.J. Thurlby of the Washington State Fruit Commission called "the most severe in 10 years.
But Mr. Thurlby was quick to add this year's crop, while not the 13 million-plus boxes originally estimated, will hit between 11 million and 11.5 million boxes, "right where it was last year, when it was one of the larger crops on record.
Fresh Kist employee honored by Birds Eye Fresh
Stephanie Zarati, a saleswoman with Santa Maria, CA-based Fresh Kist Produce LLC, received an award from Birds Eye Fresh for outstanding sales in the first quarter of 2005 in a June 6 ceremony at Fresh Kist.
Fresh Kist is a supplier to Birds Eye Fresh, the fresh division of Birds Eye Foods. A representative of Birds Eye Fresh was on hand to present to Ms. Zarati a glass plate denoting her accomplishment as the top salesperson of Birds Eye Fresh products for the quarter, said Josh Wong, marketing director for Fresh Kist.
Industry veteran Lorne Johnston dead at 67
Former produce industry veteran Lorne Johnston died May 20 of a heart attack, leaving behind produce industry friends who trace back several decades.
Mr. Johnston's fatal heart attack followed a stroke he suffered a few days earlier. It was a major heart attack in 1993 that forced Mr. Johnston into retirement. At the time, he was sales manager for United Fruit Marketing in Yakima, WA. He worked there from 1992 to 1994.
Giumarra Cos. successfully completes USDA inspections in Mexico
John Corsaro, vice president of business development for the Giumarra Cos., announced June 1 that the Salazar family in Hermosillo, Mexico, and the Giumarra Cos. had successfully completed the first-ever USDA inspection of grapes in Mexico. Every lot passed inspection.
"This result is a testament to the Salazar family's commitment to grow the highest quality fruit and to give the customer the best service possible," said Mr. Corsaro. "The cold chain will not be broken at the border, thereby ensuring that the customer will receive fruit in excellent condition.